Wilfredo Lee |
Democratic presidential candidate former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro, third from left, answers a question, during a Democratic primary debate hosted by NBC News at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts, Thursda, in Miami.

Democrats clash over health insurance, economy

Written by The Associated Press

MIAMI — Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren raised her hand as one of the few Democratic presidential contenders willing to abolish her own private health insurance in favor of a government-run plan, demanding “structural change” in the economy and the government as Democrats met on the debate stage for the first time in the 2020 presidential season.

Warren's position highlighted a rift within her party's most ambitious contenders over how to approach inequality in America in the prime-time meeting that marked the unofficial starting line for the Democratic Party's quest to wrest the White House from President Donald Trump and deny him a second term.

The debate marked a new phase in the 2020 presidential season as Democrats seek to break out from the crowded field.

While the candidates have been courting voters in key states for several months already, the vast majority of the nation has yet to pay close attention to the diverse field.

Most of Warren's rivals Wednesday night, including former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke and Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, called for universal health care, but also favored preserving the private insurance market.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who will be in a second debate group tonight, has proposed a “Medicare for All” system without private insurance, and Warren said she agrees with him.

No one on stage attacked Warren by name in the early minutes of a largely civil debate in which most of the candidates leaned into their party's focus on class warfare.

“I think of it this way: Who is this economy really working for? It's doing great for a thinner and thinner slice at the top,” Warren said. “That is corruption pure and simple … and we need to make structural change.”

One of the few voices for the moderate wing of the Democratic Party on stage, former Maryland Rep. John Delaney, pushed back: “We should be the party that keeps what's working and fixes what's broken. Why do we have to stand for taking away something from people?”

New York Mayor Bill de Blasio, who joined Warren in raising his hand on health insurance, cast the debate as part of “the battle for the heart and soul of our party.”

Wednesday night featured a collection of 10 candidates, led by Warren, on national television for two hours. The overall field is so large that a second group of 10 Democrats, led by early front-runner Joe Biden, will debate tonight.

The groupings were chosen at random by debate host NBC.

Dramatic vs. pragmatic

Democrats are unified in their deep desire to beat Trump but divided on what kind of candidate is best positioned to do so.

On one side: candidates like Warren who are demanding dramatic change that includes embracing liberal policy priorities like free universal health care, debt-free college, a forgiving immigration policy and higher taxes on the rich.

On the other: pragmatic-minded Democrats like Biden and Delaney, who are calling for modest policy solutions that could ultimately attract bipartisan support.

Wednesday's slate also featured Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, Reps. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii and Tim Ryan of Ohio, along with Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and ex-Obama Housing Secretary Julián Castro.

The second hour was derailed by technical difficulties.

As debate moderators Rachel Maddow and Chuck Todd took over for the next round of the debate, the 10 candidates on stage were unable to hear the question Todd was trying to ask about the federal government's role in getting guns off the street.

Following back-and-forth confusion, Todd announced the debate would head to a commercial break.

Trump weighs in

President Donald Trump was in the air traveling to Japan for a round of trade talks as Democrats faced the nation Wednesday for the first time in the 2020 campaign.

Earlier, he confirmed that he would watch the debate from Air Force One.